Mark Pope jersey gifted to Pope Francis – Deseret News

Last month, Mark Pope moved from BYU to Kentucky. Now, a Kentucky jersey with his name on it has made its way to the pope.

The Rev. Jim Sichko, a priest in the Diocese of Lexington, presented the jersey to the Catholic leader this week at the Vatican.

He later told On3 that the Pope was pleased with the gift.

“He loved it,” the Rev. Sichko said.

What number did Mark Pope wear?

Pope played for Kentucky from 1994 to 1996, but the gifted jersey wasn’t from that era and it didn’t even carry No. 41, which Pope used to wear.

Instead, it was a No. 23 jersey, in recognition of the fact that Pope is the University of Kentucky’s 23rd head basketball coach.

The Rev. Sichko “said he received help from Kentucky football coach Mark Stoops to get the basketball jersey made,” according to the Louisville Courier Journal.

The pope’s jersey collection

This week was far from the first time that Pope Francis received a jersey as a gift.

Athletes, coaches and others regularly bring him team gear, especially related to soccer, his favorite sport.

In recent years, he’s received a signed Manchester United jersey, as well as jerseys from a variety of national soccer teams.

Just last month, Gayle Benson, who owns the New Orleans Saints, gave the pope a personalized NFL jersey.

The “custom No. 1 jersey (is) emblazoned with ‘Papa Francesco,’” according to Saints Wire from USA Today.